HYDERABAD, Aug 5: National Bank regional business chief Agha Fidaullah has said NBP will launch a housing scheme — Saiban — from August 14.

While holding a meeting with area officers at his office here on Tuesday, Mr Agha said under this scheme, soft loans would be offered to the citizens to build, buy or renovate their houses.

He said National Bank had already started three salaries loan scheme for government and semi-government employees and added that Rs40.288 million had so far been disbursed in 27,800 accounts of beneficiaries in Hyderabad region.

Mr Agha said the bank was also facilitating growers in increasing their investment for better production and Rs660 million had been advanced as agriculture loans through opening 12,251 new accounts in the region during July-June 2002-03.